Ten no Chi Heaven and Earth
by Clemency
Summary: Kagome is not the only one to be reincarnated. Life is about to get very interesting for everyone in downtown Tokyo . . .
1. The Start of the Trouble

Chapter One: The Start of the Trouble

Five minutes in the air, and she knew, just knew, that this time it would crash. It hadn't felt like this before. The wings had never been this close to perpendicular to the ground. And when it revved, the engine had a burr in it. An irregular burr. Usually the burr was a purr, soft and smooth, soothing. But this was a stutter. Quiet, but then, she was sitting in an engine and wing seat. She felt her back stiffen and her thighs clench voluntarily. Her hands went tighter. She could veritably feel the shudder of the arm of the hard-cushioned chair, and watched as the fog blew past her window, thinking, Wow, but the water's choppy today. Her head lifted from its stiff, tilted position. But the water was choppy. Choppy. Therefore, it's windy, and her mind worked furiously. Though she didn't want to, she knew it was inevitable that her mind would come up with the worst-case scenario. There shouldn't be fog if it's windy. 

It wasn't fog. 

She didn't want to think about it. Turning back to face the cabin, she noticed the hazy scent that wafted faintly around her from near the pilot's cabin. Must be serving some sort of smoked meat. But then why would she smell it? Oh, well. She closed her eyes to soothe them. They seemed to be getting dry. I'm probably on my period again. Her eyes tended to dry when she was at that time of the month, so she tried to breathe evenly to calm what was sure to be her nauseated stomach. 

She nearly shrieked when the turbulence started, but clamped her mouth tight, snapping the window shut, and satisfied herself with constricting all of the muscles in her body, including the ones in her face and in places she didn't know she had muscles. God, God, God, _God_ I hate turbulence when it's turning. Her passionate thoughts must have been heard by the very gods, because the turmoil stopped almost immediately, as did the turning. 

She settled back into her seat, trying to stay in one place. But as she tried not to think about all the unrest in her mind, she settled her thoughts on the fact that the seat was suddenly slippery. Tilted, her mind told her. She lunged for the window shade, shoving it up and catching her balance. Horrified at what she saw, she slid back into her seat and nudged the man next to her, who was immersed in a book. 

"Um, sir, excuse me, but, um . . ." 

As the young man looked up, she pointed out the widow, looking at him and feeling her heart sink as she watched his expression change from polite disinterest to sheer horror as he murmured, "Oh, my God." 

They both looked up as one of the flight attendants struggled to run down the aisle in her stiletto heels, fear blatant in her eyes. She caught her younger flight mate coming up the aisle, muttered something in her ear, and didn't apparently give the other woman time to digest the new information, because she stumbled as she turned around to follow. They were now all but racing to the pilot's cabin, making sure their plastic-surgery smiles were glued prominently on their faces. 

"Oh, oh, oh, I knew it. God, but I knew it. I . . . just knew, and I should have said something. But I didn't, on no, not now, no, no, God, please--" 

She only realized she had been sobbing into her hands when the guy sitting next to her shook her shoulders. "This is why they do that little talk at the beginning of the flight." His voice was kind, but firm, and she caught anxiety revealing its ugly tremors. 

She shuddered, and couldn't seem to stop shaking. Looking at her hands, she thought, Those aren't mine. I can't feel my hands moving, let alone spasming. She was numb with terror. 


	2. Unrequited Reunion

Heya, Guess Who's Back? _Ye_-aw, c'est moi! Yeah, sorry, I'm kinda on sugar. I know, I know, cliche. But hey! Thanks to those very few who reviewed. Cheers to Dante and VG! Thanks a lot! 

Unrequited Reunion

The day was as dry as it ever was in summer, since the fire. Sesshomaru glanced apathetically around his rooftop, wondering if anything interesting would happen today. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and the plane was taking a nosedive-- 

"What in hell?" He bolted upright, staring as the airplane zoomed toward the ground, smoke trailing from the wings. He could almost hear the screams of the passengers, knowing that they would be absolutely terrified. He wondered idly if anyone he knew was on it . . . 

Something lanced through his head. "Ungh!" Allowing for a moment of exreme weakness, he let his pain show as he bent double and clutched his head. Fingers digging tracks through his hair, he fell to his knees. He felt as though someone were drilling through his skull from the inside. Screaming accompanied it -- not his own, though he could tell that it sounded familiar, even through the pain. 

As suddenly as it had come, the pain receded. He stood up slowly, not bothering to straighten his clothes or finger-comb his hair. The plane was hovering mere inches from the sea, shivering so violently that it looked as though it would collapse. Sesshomaru made a split-second decision -- he leapt. 

Dodging over buildings, he raced toward the hovering aircraft, unable to forget the scream. He heard nothing but the ringing in his ears; he didn't even hear the astonished cries from the streets below. All he could concentrate on was saving that one person, the person whose cry he had heard. He wanted to -- he _had_ to. 

As he neared the craft, he saw the passengers being ferried out by helicopter. One young man looked petrified in particular, holding an unconscious girl in his arms. No, not a girl -- a young woman. Her black hair hung past her waist and swayed gently as she was handed aboard the heli. There was a reason she caught his eye, though. She was the source of the power which held the plane aloft, the power which everyone was doing their best to ignore. That was the reason she was unconscious. Her mind had overloaded. 

Sesshomaru flew toward the helicopter, shooting the pilot a stern look that said to keep put. His hand closed over that of the short lieutenant who held the unconscious girl. "I'll be taking her, whether you mind or not." 

The unpleasant man sputtered at this impudent young rascal, and sputtered some more at the sight of him hovering impassively in midair. "I-I never! I won't just hand her over to the first hallucination that comes my way! Now, get off with you!" He waved his hand, loosing his wrist and flapping at Sesshomaru to leave. 

The demon clasped the man's wrist tightly. "She is my protegé; I am her guardian." He glared the man in the eye. "I _will_ take her. Now." 

The ugly lieutenant paled, nodding quickly and glancing around. He gulped when he saw one of his superiors watching him. "I can't right now--" 

"I don't care about that. Give her to me." He was getting impatient, and it was starting to show. 

He gulped again, and handed her to him without another word. As he sped off he heard that selfsame official yelling at him to stop and give her back and yelling at the lieutenant for being so stupid, screeching that he would be court-marshialed. He also heard the voice of the young man join that of the superior's in railing at the hapless man. 

He smirked as he escaped the scene, heading straight back to his rooftop. The scenery flashed by once more, and the people on the streets started to scream just as the girl in his arms began to wake up. Stopping, whirling, the demon lord watched as the plane sank into the ocean, bubbling and descending faster and faster as the girl became fully conscious. He glanced at her, stilling the erratic beating of his heart, and said, "Do you know just what happened here?" 

She looked up at him, eyes wide, innocent and confused. "I was on that plane!" Her shriek denoted near hysteria to him, so he traveled the rest of the short distance to his roof, ignoring her whimper of disbelief and the way she clutched at his shoulders. Setting her down, he stood again. She was disheveled, tired and clearly scared, of him and the fact that she might have died. Something in her eyes told him that she thought he had saved her, so he looked at her and said, "You did that. You were the one who kept the plane from sinking until everyone was saved." 

Slowly, the scared look changed to one of pure horror as she comprehended the enormity of the deed she had done. "No . . . How . . . could _I_ have . . . ?" 

He almost started when he saw the tears gather in her eyes. Dropping his head into his hands for a moment, he knelt beside her and mumbled softly, "Don't cry." 

She looked at him, _really_ looked, and was stunned at what she saw. Golden eyes, long white hair, and the most inviting shoulder she had ever seen . . . 

He was shocked, to say the least, she she leant forward and began to cry into his shoulder. Unsure of what to do, he put his arms around her, remembering the embrace of one he had once . . . known. His eyes glittered, full of his own unshed tears, and he held the only person he had ever cared for. The onyl person whose death he'd regretted. 


	3. Reasoning by the Uninformed

Chapter Three: Reasoning by the Uninformed

With a groan, a slender girl opened her chocolate eyes. _Ouch_, thought Kagome. The thing in front of her was fuzzy, for a moment, then she recoiled when she realized that it was a guy, staring directly into her face. When he noted her open eyes, he grunted and sat back. In an indignant voice, he delcared, "Well, it's about time you woke up." She blinked at him and he continued. "I mean, really. Just because your plane almost crashed is no reason to be out of it for four and a half hours." 

Again, she blinked. " . . . Do I know you?" He looked taken aback, but she was in no state to particularly care. "And where am I?" 

The guy grinned nastily. He leaned forward until their noses almost touched, and then murmured huskily, "You're in the hospital." 

His voice was a rough tenor, and it sent shivers down her spine. His half-lidded eyes were golden, she realized, hazy with proximity. His hair was white, yet he seemed very young, and his smile was . . . fanged? 

With a gasp, Kagome lurched forward, cracking the sides of their heads together. She moaned as he shouted, but just as quickly she turned, glaring, and slapped the man at her bedside. He looked surprised, but it was obvious that he knew why she had slapped him. 

Meanwhile, the white-haired man was railing at her for crushing his ear. "OWWW! Goddammit, woman, you idiot! What the hell was that for? Augh! God-_damn_-it!" 

She turned back to him. He sat on her bed, head cradled in his arms, and shoulders shaking with pain. Kagome gently pried his hands away from his scalp, brushing the uninjured ear and yelping. It was a dog ear! Shaking her head at his folly, she muttered, "It's your own damn fault. You knew they were there and I didn't. You shouldn't have leaned so close." 

He shot a venomous glare up at her and spat, "Well, I wasn't exactly planning on getting myself nailed in the ear by a pretty patient, was I?!" 

She blushed at the compliment, but resumed tugging his hands from his wounded appendage. He sat glowering at her, shoulders hunched as though to ward off another headbutt from the insane, pretty patient. Leaning forward again, Kagome brushed her hand along the furry ear that stuck out of his hair. He flinched a little, but once she began to stroke it in earnest he relaxed. As she lengthened her strokes, he began to purr, eyes closing almost all the way and shoulders slumping. 

She knew she'd get herself in trouble if she kept doing that -- it was so relaxing, she might just do something really stupid. So she hesitantly pulled her hand back and asked shakily, "Better?" 

Sleepy golden eyes slowly opened to gaze at her in a stupor. He seemed like he was going to nod, but instead his eyes narrowed and he turned his nose up at her, huffing, "Well, it was the least you could do." 

Kagome rolled her eyes and cradled her hand, remembering the softness of his ear. Then she stopped moving, still upright. Her eyes were unfocused, pointed off to the side. She was trying to remember why she had been brought here. The young guy had said something about a plane-- 

That's right. Kagome shuddered, the feel of a rickety plane beneath her still fresh in her mind. There had been scared voices, both loud and quiet, and a thick tension stiff with fear. The plane was in a nosedive, losing altitude rapidly, when Kagome had blacked out from the change in air pressure. She vaguely recalled being handed into a heli and then, another pair of golden eyes-- 

The door to her room opened, and the man beside Kagome, forgotten, proclaimed, "Ah, Sango! You just missed an awesome display of prowess on InuYasha's part; you see, he headbutted his roomate and then somehow coerced her into petting his ears--" 

The guy called InuYasha growled, "Stuff it, Miroku. Save it for your standup-pickup routine." 

Kagome flinched. _Ouch_. That seemed a little harsh. But Miroku wasn't fazed at all. He smiled magnanimously and placed an arm around the bored nurse named Sango, newly arrived but long-acquainted. "Now, InuYasha, you know that's not true--" 

Sango's eyes widened and she whipped around, having her hand make a very profound statement right onto her coworker's face. "PERVERT!" 

Kagome grinned, delighted at this display of camaraderie. She knew pefectly well what Miroku had just done -- it was the reason she had accidentally headbutted InuYasha. 

Sango turned, ruffling her feathers, as she looked at Kagome. "Miss Higurashi, I presume?" 

Kagome grinned harder. "Oh, call me Kagome, please." She looked around. "All of you." 

Sango smiled, InuYasha grunted, and Miroku looked outright pleased. Sango forestalled his impending comment by declaring, "InuYasha, you know you shouldn't be out of bed. Get back in there. Miroku, why, oh _why_ did you have to feel Kagome up? _Why_?" 

The man sighed dramatically. "Sango, my dear, you _know_ my predicament--" 

Her eyes softened and she murmured, "I know. Now, enough." She turned to Kagome, quickly blinking away tears as she sat on the side of the bed. "All right, Kagome, now I suppose I'll need to fill you in." 

Kagome collected her thoughts, wondering at the tears in Sango's eyes, and smiled wryly. "Well, it would be nice." 

Sango nodded and began. "Around four hours and forty-five minutes ago, your flight was listed as down over the bay. The reason for this is still not known -- it was some unusual energy fluctuation. It came out of nowhere, and authorites are mystified. However, the only reason you are sitting here now is because of a young girl. Her own energy was, for some reason, saved from her previous life. As soon as she found out that the plane was in a nosedive and that the pilots had blacked out, she hyperventilated and her energy was transformed into an immense battle aura that stopped the plane in midair. It hovered over the water for as long as it took to evacuate all of the passengers, then sank. The odd thing is that the girl blacked out in the middle of the power transaction. Nobody knows where she is -- a tall, muscular man with shite hair and golden eyes _flew_ out to the emergency area and demanded custody of her, claiming he was her guardian. The sailor responsible for handing her over was courtmartialed and the girl's seatmate, who seemed to be oddly protective of her, having just met her, was compensated for damages sustained by aforementioned sailor." 

InuYasha's attention was rapt. "The man who claimed custody -- nobody but you-know-who sounds like that." 

Miroku grimaced. "InuYasha, your--" At the warning look, Miroku changed what he was going to say, continuing, "_That man_ is a rare pain in the ass. Why do you want to get involved?" 

InuYasha glowered. "Well, the girl saved Kagome. Isn't that reason enough to find her?" 

Kagome was surprised. "Why, Inuyasha! Thank you. That's really sweet." 

His eyes widened, and he hastily proclaimed, "I mean, Kagome must want to thank her! Of course. Her life was in the balance, why wouldn't she want to thank her?" 

Sango and Miroku rolled their eyes while Kagome blushed. InuYasha just simmered. Then he said, "Well, in any case, I need to go find him. He owes me big for this, and anyway--" 

Kagome blurted out, "Who is this 'pain in the ass' you all keep talking about?" 

Miroku answered before InuYasha could. "We're talking about Sesshomaru, InuYasha's older brother. You see, InuYasha here is a hanyou -- a half-demon." _That explains the ears_, though Kagome. "His brother, however, is a full-blooded demon. That has caused some serious fights between the two, because InuYasha resents being half-human and Sesshomaru just can't seem to keep himself from rubbing his brother's nose in it." 

Kagome nodded, now only half-confused. "So, why does he owe InuYasha big?" 

Miroku opened his mouth, but InuYasha interrupted him. Sulkily, he muttered, "I saved his pathetic hide. There have been innumerable attempts on his life, and this last one I caught. However, the attackers were really stupid -- they forgot to figure in the demon blood." His eyes shone with a mixture of pride, envy and sadness. 

Kagome nodded, a silent 'Oh' forming on her lips. _That would explain a lot_. They were silent for a while, mulling over the day's events. "So, what now?" 

Sango spoke. "Well, I for one want to know why on earth he saved that girl's life." 

Miroku, InuYasha and Kagome nodded. The hanyou said, "Well, how's about a trip to his place?" 

Miroku eyed him reproachfully. "You _do_ remember the reason you're in here, right?" 

He snorted. "Yeah. I'm fine." At the dubious look he received, he growled. "Dammit, Miroku, you know me. You _know_ how tough I am! Gimme a break and let's go!" 

Kagome felt her heart sinking. _What about me_? She didn't want to be left alone. 

Sango noticed her expression, and said, "Well, we can't just leave Kagome here, and she seemed well enough to defend herself from Miroku," here the man received a glare and simply smiled innocently, "so we might as well just bring her along. After all, wasn't it you, InuYasha, who wanted to find the girl for Kagome's sake?" 

The hanyou turned red and scoffed, then scooted off the bed and grabbed Kagome's coat for her. He held it as she slipped into it, and glared at the others' raised eyebrows and knowing smiles. He opened the door for her, but let it fall closed in Sango's face. She turned to Miroku and they burst out laughing. Quickly reining in their emotions, they opened the door and hurried after them, snickering. 


	4. Revelation

Hoo-boy, has it been a long time since I updated. If you want to look in my bio, you'll find the reason there. So sorry for the wait, all, but there you are. 

The fourth chapter of Ten no Chi. If anyone has suggestions, they are welcome. Ridicule me, and I shall block you. . . . If it's possible to do that . . . I'll have to check. But do drop a comment. 

The door from the roof to his apartment eased open as he nudged it with his toe. The girl had cried herself hoarse, and now he decided that she needed rest. She was awake, in his arms, and he led her down the stairs to his barely-above-shabby chambers. 

His carpet was frayed and her foot caught in the fringe. She stumbled, but Sesshoumaru caught her, and laid her on his couch, which was really the only decent piece of furniture in his entire apartment. Grabbing his cleanest and most whole blanket from a shelf, he shifted her until she lay on her back. The raven-haired young woman blinked drowsily up athim, covering a yawn as he laid the blanket over her, and murmured, "Who are you?" 

He froze; did he want to tell her? Would she remember if he did? The demon cleared his throat. "Go to sleep." Then he turned, cursing his vocal cords, and stalked to the window. Against his will, he listened to her uneven breathin, hitching at intervals and combining with her little sniffles. He sighed in exasperation, leaning his forehead aginst the chipped-paint-wall, and walked back to the couch. Sitting, he snatched his remaining Kleenex box from the broken coffee table and handed her a tissue. "Blow." 

The young woman rolled her eyes, _just like she always did,_ he though sadly, and accepted the tissue, bloing obediently. As she tossed it in the garbage can, she asked again, more insistently, "Who are you?" 

The demon closed his eyes. "I am merely a person--" 

She sat up, clutching his upper arm. "What is your name?" She would not leave it alone. 

He looked at her, then muttered, "Sesshoumaru." 

"See, now? That wasn't too hard, was it?" 

Her nonchalance still had him staring openmouthed after the first few oundings came upon his door. He made himself stand, walk to the door and open it, only to find a very irate hanyou brother glaring, hand poised to slam again, at the door. 

InuYasha lowered his hand, growling, "Are you _trying_ to piss me off?" 

Sesshoumaru shook his head dumbly, saying, "Uh- no, no, come in, InuYasha." The tail-end of his sentence was said with distaste, as though he only just realized who he was talking to . He stepped aside and allowed his brother and his convoy to tread upon his sacred apartment floor. 

The hanyou immediately turned to his brother and demanded, "All right, where's the girl?" 

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. "I beg your pardon, InuYasha, but I don't believe I know your friends." 

InuYasha was fuming, so Kagome stepped forward. "Good day, sir. My name is Kagome Higurashi. This is Miroku no Kazaana and Sango Taiji'ya. They are nurses at the hospital which your brother and I were of late in residence." A quick little bow, and she straightened to meet his eyes squarely and coolly. 

His brow was cocked, and he returned the bow with little care, noticing her anger aura spike at the slight. "I am Sesshoumaru, though doubtless you already knew that." He regarded the human for a moment. "Are you a Higurashi of the Higurashi Shrine?" 

Her features registered no surprise. "Indeed I am." 

He liked her more and more. "Your grandfather is quite a character." 

It was her brow to cock now. "You speak of him with such familiarity. I assume you know and are on speaking terms with him?" 

The demon inclined his head. "Makoto is very well-respected in the company he keeps." 

A sly smile tugged at her lips. "But how do you know him?" 

Sesshoumaru grimaced inwardly. She'd caught him out. "We met at a library." 

Sango snorted, covering it with her hand and turning to face Miroku, who was having just as hard a time as InuYasha in controlling his laughter. Sesshoumaru glared at them, which quelled their hysterics. . . . Momentarily. When Kagome spoke, he heard the laughter in her voice. "Really. So, you must have an interest in the Sacred Jewel? The Shikon no Tama?" 

His surprise was evident. "And you knew this how?" 

She chuckled. "And you claim to know Jii-chan?" 

InuYasha was struggling valiantly to hide his hysteria, and Sango was shaking in Miroku's arms. Miroku, himself, had his face buried in Sango's abundant hair, to hide the tears of mirth streaming down his face. Sesshoumaru had never been so affronted in his life, and Kagome was staring at him coolly, a smile quirking her lips. 

The demon lord sighed. "I yield." He glanced at Inuyasha. "Where on earth did you find such a witty creature?" 

The hanyou turned red, muttering sheepishly, "We, ah, bumped heads at the hospital." 

Sesshoumaru chuckled. "So very clever on his feet, isn't he?" 

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" A gentle vocie floated toward them. The entire comapny turned to see a tired-looking girl laying on the great lord's sofa. Her face was mildly frightened. 

Sesshoumaru looked at InuYasha, jerking his head at the young woman. "_There_ is the girl. Do you wish to speak with her?" 

"I do," Kagome murmured. 

Doubt flickered i nhis eyes, and he asked, "For what reasons?" 

"I was on that plane." 

Understanding laced his features, and he stepped aside as she walked forward. When she reached the sofa, she knelt, staring at the plainly scared young woman. "Thank you." 

Confusion joined the fear. "What for?" 

Kagome smiled benevolently. "I was on the plane." 

The young woman's mouth formed a silent 'Oh', and she looked down, then past Kagome at her rescuer. "Lord Sesshoumaru?" 

The demon came immediately to her side, kneeling as Kagome rose and murmuring, "Yes, young one." 

As Kagome walked back to her entourage, she smiled at the murmur of voices, one tenor and one soprano, behind her. The soprano ceased, sleeping, and just as they were about to walk out the door the tenor joined them. 

"InuYasha, why did _you_ come here?" 

"Oh, yeah." Sango rolled her eyes as Miroku snickered. "I wanted to ask why you saved her." 

Sesshoumaru looked surprised. "You don't remember her?" 

At his brother's blank look, he murmured, "You don't remember the girl who saved me, in the Feudal Era, and then I saved, with Tenseiga?" 

Slowly, InuYasha shook his head, as though his brother was daft. 

Sesshoumaru glanced back at her, then met his brother's eyes. The lord's contained an uncharacteristic softness. "She is Rin." 

InuYasha's eyes opened wide, and he whipped around to stare at the being on the sofa, then to stare at Sesshoumaru. The elder nodded, smiling wistfully as he stared at her. "Rin . . ." 

You like? Suggestions are welcome. If you ridicule me, however, I'll block you. -.- sinister glare 


End file.
